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CNN’s Tapper Was ‘Talked Into’ Soap Opera Cameo

As we previously reported, CNN’s Jake Tapper is slated to appear on “All My Children” on August 19. But what some may not know is Tapper had to be coaxed into the role.

Come on, no eye rolling! As much as many in Washington seek the limelight no matter what gorilla or lettuce bikini costume they have to climb into, there are still roles that need urging.

“I’m old enough to remember when soap operas were so popular that girls from my 6th grade class called in sick so they could watch Luke and Laura get married on General Hospital,” Tapper wrote to FishbowlDC. “Thirty million Americans watched that! I haven’t really been a viewer myself, but it was fun to get to know some of these folks as they, like so many other content providers, try to negotiate the new media terrain. I admit, I had to be talked into my cameo by my staff, but in addition to the fun part of it, the experience allowed me to experience how these soaps are made. I do look forward to a recurring role as Sterling Phillips’s evil twin, ‘Rusty,” but for some reason the production house isn’t returning my calls.“

As part of CNN’s Money coverage, “The Lead” has been covering the swiftly-changing ways that consumers are provided with content — from “House of Cards” on Netflix to Amazon’s attempt at original programming, billions of dollars are at stake. As part of this, the show’s team was intrigued… to see that soap operas that had been killed off by networks were re-emerging online. Soaps, after all, were so popular in the 1980s they supported network prime time coverage – but because viewership is down and other programming (talk shows, reality TV) is cheaper to produce, bottom-line-conscious execs have been canceling them.